William james smith



(No Model.)

W. J. SMITH.

SPEED RBGORDER.

No. 588,248. Patented Aug. 17,1897.

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM J AMES SMITH,

' PATENT OEEICE.

OF VICTORIA, CANADA.

SPEED-RECORDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,248, dated August 17, 189'?.

Application tiled February l5, 1895. Serial No. 588,572. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concer/t:

Be it known that LWILLIAM J AMES SMITH, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Victoria, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speed-Recorders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the present invention is the provision of a recorder for water-craft which will be accurate and at all times indicate the correct speed of the vessel and can be read by any oiiieer or authorized person.

Figure lis a sectional view of a vessel, showing the application of the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the registering mechanism. Fig. S is a detail view showing the motorwheel set in a pocket in the ships bottom.

Y I Fig. 4 is a detail view of the indicating-dials;

and Fig. 5 .is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the adjustable worm on the main shaft.

A represents the registering mechanism, which is conveniently located on the upper part of the ship, so as to be under the observation of the officer or other person charged with the safe running of the vessel. The operating parts will be suitably housed and the indicating hands and dials will be protected by glass or other means and exposed for constant readings. The units-staff B is geared withthe power-transitiitting shaft O, and the indicating mechanism 2 provided therefor registers the number of miles up to ten and the fractional parts of a mile. The staff D, operated from the staff B, records every ten miles on the indicating mechanism 3, the Iatter recording'the number of miles up to one hundred. The staff E is actuated from the statt' D, and the recording mechanism et connected therewith registers the number of miles up to one thousand. It will be understood that there may be as many of these staffs B D, dto., as desired, and that the capacity of the recording mechanisms n, 3, and 4L may be varied at will, but will be the same for each register. The main wheel G on the shaft O is provided on one side with a series of teeth or pins g, which mesh with a worml thread t on a longitudinal shaft II. One end of the shaft II projects beyond the casing and is provided with a gear-wheel I, which meshes with a pinion J on a vertical shaft K.

The worm-thread It is a spiral of steel secured midway of its ends to an enlarged portion of the shaft II. Its end portions are connected by the set-screw t,- screw-threaded right and left, as shown, and passing through corresponding screw-threaded apertures in said end portions, whereby the spiral can be so adjusted as to calibrate or standardize the reading of the recorder, as may be required.

The motor-wheel IA is located at the bottom of the ship close to the keel and is seated partly within and partly outside of a pocket, by which it isprotected from grounding when the vessel is moving in shallow water. The curved arms of the motor-wheel are engaged by the water in the forward movement of the ship, which results in a rotary movement of the wheel and the shaft K carrying the saine. This shaft passes vertically through a tubu- `lar casing extending upward from the ships bottom and is journaled in suitable bearings provided therein. By reason of its location the shaft or arbor of the motor-wheel is out of the path of the live-water current and is correspondingly protected from encumbrance by driftage, such as seaweed, rope-yarn, and the like. Moreover, the outer orconvex surfaces of the motorwheel blades in rising from the live-water through the dead-water chamber or pocket readily free themselves from any such driftage, while at the same time the dead water in the chamber acts as a partial brake upon the wheel to prevent its too rapid and violent revolution.

By locating the motor-wheel low down it is not effected by the water-cress, but is at all times submerged and in contact with the water. IIence the indications of the register when in working condition are accurate.

IIa-ving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new isl. In a speed-recorder for vessels, the combination with the motor-wheel andthe powergearing driven thereby, of register-gearing driven by the power-gearin g through the intermediacy of a worm having an adjustable thread and an indicator for the register whereby an adjustment of the thread may be IOO made to establish the correct rate of iranslwater chamber or pocket formed in the shi ps mission bet-Ween the power-gearing and regbottom; substantially as described. ister-geming and thus standardize or eali- In testimony whereof I have signed this brate theregister; subsiantiallyas described. specification in Ifille presence of two subscrib- 5 2. A speed-recorder for Vessels, comprising ing Witnesses.

i register, oWer-transmittino gearine` there- T v 1. f `foigand zipmotor-Wheel forbatuating said ILLIAM JAMBD SMHH gearing, the m @tor-Wheel being mounted upon Titnessesz :i shaft extending fore and aft of the ship and R. CRAWFORD, is having blades revolving partly Within a. dead- Il. G. SHAW. 

